This invention relates generally to stringed musical instruments, and more particularly to bridge pins, saddles and nuts provided for the support and attachment of strings to a stringed musical instrument.
Stringed musical instruments, and the components employed to support and attach the strings to the instrument are well known in the art and have undergone many advancements in recent years. For example, one such advancement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,427 which issued in Mar. 1994 showing a bridge for string instruments for adjustably fastening the strings to the instrument body. However, because this device employs many adjusting parts, vibration transmitted from the strings is likely to diminish quickly thereby negatively effecting the quality of sound. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,764 issued in Dec. 1995 which illustrates an attachment mechanism having two quick attachment cylinders. This design is complicated by its plurality of parts which could interrupt the transfer of sound and vibration from the strings to the instrument.
In Apr. 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,444 issued having a design which incorporates a plurality of saddles secured to the bridge plate which are individually adjustable. Because of the multiple adjustments required, this design is overly cumbersome to tune and would likely make it difficult to maintain the quality of sound.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,279 issued in Oct. 1999 illustrating a saddle with multiple holes forming a plurality of sound-coupling pedestals. This design employs rectangular slots to receive the individual strings. Because the slots are rectangular, they are not formed to maximize the contact area of the string to the bridge. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,369,305 issued in Apr. 2002 illustrating a guitar bridge having a plurality of rectangular shaped slots with holes formed therein. Likewise, because this design employs rectangular slots, the surface contact area of a string extending through the same is not maximized.
Importantly, the transfer of vibration from the string to the instrument, to create the instrument's tone, is an important factor in the quality of sound produced from a stringed musical instrument. As noted above, none of the above cited designs provide a system of attachment between a string and the instrument to maximize the surface area of the string contacting the portion of the instrument that transfers the vibrations, and likewise to maximize the sound produced.
Accordingly, a need remains for an improved system of attachment of a string to a stringed musical instrument directed to increasing the contact surface area between the string and the points of attachment of the string to the instrument. For this purpose, an improved system including a bridge pin, saddles and nuts, or any combination thereof, for enhancing the quality of sound of a stringed instrument is provided.